Apparatus for coating and drying fabric or the like



Jun 14, 1927. 1,632,760

R. R. JONES APPARATUS FOR COATING AND DRYING FABRIC OR THE LIKE Filed Aug. 2, 1921 v 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 14, 1927. R. ONES 1,632,760 v Jufle 1927' R. R. JONES APPARATUS FOR COATING AND DRYING FABRIC 0R THELIKE Filed Aug. 2, 19 21 5 smu -she t 5 June 14 1927. R. R. JONES APPARATUS FOR COATING AND DRYING FABRIC OR THE LIKE 1927.- 'l R. R. JONES APPARATUS FOR COATING AND DRYING FABRIC OR THE LIKE H II II II II :I I I I II II n 1| II n u II II-- Patented June '14, 1927. 1

- uurrso STATES EATENT OFFICE- ROBERT 3. ONES, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGN'OR TO THE FIRESTONE TIRE AND RUBBER COMPANY, OF AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

arrana'rus non coa'rme am) marine ramuc on. mm mm.

Application fled August 2, 1921. Serial No. 488,348.

This invention relates to an apparatus for coating and drying materials, particularly tion of rubber in a volatile and often ex plosive solvent. The coated and saturated 'fabric is then dried so as to eliminate the solvent, the fumes of the solvent being recovered for reuse. Many forms of driers have been devised for this purpose, but, owing to the explosive character of the fumes derived fromthe drying fabric, the use of apparatus for the purpose has been attended with great danger to the operators- It also has been diflicult to clean out the coating and drying device and to inspect the fabric while it is being treated without danger of explosion.

. extended ,to ot er similar operations.

e design and By the improved form of drying apparatus shownherein, I am enabled to obviate many of the difficulties heretofore encountered and to lessen the danger of explosion. In addition to these features, I have so constructed the drying apparatus that if an explosion 'shouldtake place, there will be no danger'to the operators by providing an easily opened vent at the top of the dryin chamber, which usually proJects abovethe building in which the drying a paratus is housed, through which vent the rce of the explosion-will be discharged.

While the invention is designed and will be described with relation to the saturation of fabric with a rubber "solution, it is not limited to this, articular work, but may lI)e t also will be understood that t proportion of the several parts of the appajratus may be modified or varied within the scope of the invention without departing therefrom or sacrificing any of the benefits of'theinvention. i

In thedrawings accompanying the appli cation is shown one embodiment of the invention in which Fig. 1, is a vertical section. through the coating and drying apparatus, a portion of the drying chamber being removed to reduce the height. h

Fig. 2 is h side elevation, the upper part of the drying chamber being broken away to show'the internal construction.

Fig. 3 is a (plan view, the top of the tank being remove Fig. 4 is an enlarged section through the seal at the fabric outlet.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 4. a

,Fig. 6 is a cross section through a seal at the fabric inlet point of the drying-chamber,

and

Fig. 7 is a side elevation thereof.

The material to be coated, in this case fabric, is mounted on a roll 1, located at any polnt, preferably outside'of and below the drying chamber, it being understood that when one roll is exhausted, the leading end ,of a new roll is attached to theend of the former roll by any means, preferably by stitching. p

The fabric which is indicated by the numeral 2 passes from the roll 1 over'a rod 3 and under rolls 4 attached to a platform 5, the purpose of this device beingtoallow the loose end of the fabric to be supported on changinga roll, a trough 6, being added, if desired to receive the fabric.

The drying chamber, 7 may be in any suitable' form, being here shown as a cas ng or shell, preferably oval in shape. The lower pprtion 8 of the chamber and the base may of somewhat heavier construction'than the upper portion, so as tominimize the liability of the chamber blowing out on the operators upon anlexplosion'.

The drying chamber is supported on the floor lOabove the one on which theoperators are working so that the base of the chamber is above the heads of the operators and they can move around beneath the drier to inspect the fabric, replenish the tank andxgerform such other duties 'as may be require From. the base of the chamber" .ioo

tained in a tank or vat 15, which surrounds the lower end of the housing 12, a narrow opening 16 being provided at one side for the admission of the fabric and a'narrow opening 17 being provided at the other side for inspection of the solution and for refilling purposes. The entrance to the interior of the chamber is closed by the liquid seal formed by the coating solution.

The fabric passes from the rolls 4 over a roll 18, and through the narrow passageway 16 into the liquid in the tank. It is depressed within the liquid by the rollers 13 and then passes up through thecasing 12. At a point above the liquid in the tank the fabric passes between suitable squeeze rolls 19 and 20 which force the solution into the fabric and remove any surplus.

These squeeze rolls may be of any preferred construction, and" I may provide a steel roll at 19 and a hard rubber roll at 20, this combination operating satisfactorily. Pressure between the rolls may be adjusted by the hand Wheels 21. Transparent windows 22 may be provided for observing the condition of the fabric as it leaves the squeeze roll.

The fabric now passes up into the drying chamber through the long narrow opening 23. v

It is necessary at times to obtain access to the interior of the coatin tank for various purposes, and to enable this to be done without admitting air to the drying chamber, there are provided, at the opening 23, seals which may be operated to close upon the fabric and seal the chamber against the admission of any air. These seals are shown at 24 in Fig. 1, and in detail in Figs. 6 and 7, it being understood that in a broad view of the invention other types of seals may be substituted for those shown. It has been found, however, that the seal shown herein operates satisfactorily and it will now be described. j

On either side of the opening 23 are placed oblong box-like frames or casings 25, which face each other and are closed by a cover 26, having a long narrow opening 27 over the opening 23, the cover being braced by brackets 28. In the frames 25 are housed expansible sealin members 29, which are like expansible iags and'so arranged as to expand outwardly and close the entrance to the chamber. The front of the members 29 are formed of curved plates 30, usually of zinc, which are connected to the rear of the casingby fluted or accordion .walls 31 of flexible metal suchas brass.

Fluid pressure, water, or air, may be admitted to themembers 29 through pipes 32, loeate'd at any suitable point. When itis desired to close the entrance to the d chamber, the seals are expanded until they press against the fabric; air being then'pmcaslng. These rolls are designated by the numerals 33 to 39 inclusive in the order of travel. Certain of these rolls may be corrugated or of squirrel cage construction to prevent undue accumulation of the sticky rubber on the roll. Arranged at the sides of the fabric are a number of radiators or heaters 40, which are maintained at the proper temperature to dry the fabric quickly and without injury to the coating or fabric.

The lower rolls 34, 36 and 38, instead of being mounted directly within the casing, are supported in troughs, or chambers, 41, depending below the casing, openings 42 being provided in the base of the casing through which the fabric passes. Transparent windows 43 may be let into the sides of the troughs opposite the rolls for obtaining a view of the fabric as it passes through the drying chamber. By having the rolls 34, 36 and 38 arranged in the manner described, the condition of the fabric at all stages of drying may be determined without entering the casing. This is quite advantageous in the mechanism disclosed.

The fabric, after being dried, passes out of the drying chamber through passageway 44, which is also sealed to prevent admission of air at this point. The seals for this purpose are indicated'by the numeral 45, and while their construction may be varied or modified, a preferred form is shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and will now be described.

The sides of the vestibule or chamber below the opening 44 are closed by Walls 46 and to these walls are attached angular plates or holders 47, obliquely disposed as shown in Fig. 4. Below the plates 47 are arranged pressure plates 48, which are forced upwardly by screws 49, engaging lugs 50, which are in turn fastened to the holders 47 by bolts 51. Between the holders 47 and the plates 48 are secured wipers or seals 52, which project outwardly and contact the fabric making an air tight seal. These wipers or seals are of felt and are provided with thin flexible brass plates 53, against which the fabric rubs.

Attached to the side plates 46 are holders 54, provided with horns or fingers 56. Securedto the lower side of the holders 54 are yoke s 57 supported and adjusted by wing nuts 58. Secured to the framework by the parts 54 and 57 are, troughs or tubes 59, which face eachother, the facing sides bemajor ing opened so that the troughs are approximately three-quartersround. In the trough or pipes are seated tubes 60 of rubber or' not limited to the"'exact form of sealing device as shown, this form has operated satis factorily and has roven highly successful in preventing the a mission of air to the casing and the egress of the gas from the casing.

From the yielding wipers 52 the fabric 2 passes under a roller 62, over an adjustable spreading roller 63 to the wind-up 64.

The atmosphere of the interior of the drying chamber is constantly changed, fresh gas being introduced through an inlet 65,

and the gas thoroughly saturated with the volatile solvent being withdrawn at 66. The gas in the. interior of the chamber travels in the opposite direction from the passage of the fabric and as it becomes heavy as it is saturated with the volatile solvent, the point of withdrawal of the gas is at the bottom of the chamber.

In order to prevent the occurrence of explosions in the chamber, the gas to fill the chamber may be some inert gas, which will make a non-explosive mixture.

In case sufliclent air gets within the chamber so as to form an explosive mixture, the apparatus is so designed that i should the mixture become ignited, the force of the explosion will be expended in a direction away from the workmen. To insure this result, besides making the lower part of the chamber of heavier material, so that the upper part will give way before thelower part, there is provided a plurality of easily movable covers which will be blown off the top of the dhing chamber.

At a number of points in the top of the drying chamber 7, there are located pipes or stacks 67 surrounding flanged openings 68. Over these openings are placed covers or bells 69, which may be arranged to be raised by ropes or cables 70. These covers may be raised when it is desired to clean out the drying chamber.

In addition, larger openings\71 maybe constructed in the top of the chamber, which are closed by covers or trap doors 72. Over the top of the casing a level of water 73 is maintained which operates as a seal for the top of the chamber, as will be readily understood.

Any suitable means may be devised for driving the various rollers in the apparatus. One form is shown in the drawings in which 74' represents a reversible motor, which drives through suitable gearing a jackshaft 75 bytwo-speed drives 76 and 77 arranged to be coupled to the shaft by a shiftable clutch 78. From the jack shaft 75 is driven the power shaft 79, which by suitable chains or belts drives the shafts of one of the squeeze rolls and any number of the rolls 34, 36- and 38 as may be found necessary or desirable. The wind-up roll 64 may be driven from the same source. The driven devices are not shown in detail as theymay be constructed-in any suitable manner as good engineering practice may dictate.

From the description which has been given of the apparatus, it will be seen that a safe and workable arrangement has been produced by means of which the hazardous operation of drying fabric coated with a volatile solvent may be carried out without danger to the operators. By elevating the drying chamber the operators may safely move below the drying chambers and by providing the depressed rolls 34, 36 and 38 with the accompanying windows, the Work may be 1nspected at all times without necessitating access to the interior of the chamber. The closure '24 enables the coating tank to be isolated from the remainder of the drying chamber for cleaning or other purposes witl1- out admitting air to the interior which is a valuable feature of the invention. The seal '45 at the outlet effectually prevents the admission of air at this point. The construction of the easily removable covers 69 and 72, together with the lighter construction of the upper part of the drying chamber, insures any explosion which might occur in the casin finding a vent out of the top thereof without chance of injury to the operators beneath the chamber, as the covers specified constitute easily ruptured closures for the several openings. Very v satisfactory results have been derived from the use of a drying chamber constructed in the manner shown, and a large percentage of the volatile solvent has been recovered from the gas withdrawn through the pipe 66.

The working parts of the apparatus are all below the drying chamber and are easy 'of' access. The inlet and outlet seals are simple and easily operated. Other advantages and improved results are obtained, and

the invention is not limited to the exact form adapted to extend across the passageway and fabric or the like, comprising a drying chamher, a coating tank outside said drying chamber, a passageway being provided from the tank to the chamber, walls about said passageway extending within the liquid in the tank to form a seal, squeeze rollers in the passageway, and a second seal in the passageway above the tank and means to operate the second seal to close the passagewa Y 4?. An apparatus for coating and drying fabric or the like, comprising a. drying chamber, a coating tank .outside of said drying chamber, a passageway being provided into the drying chamber, a housing about the passageway and extending into the tank and a sealing device in the assageway, sald sealing device being mova le to close the passageway.

5. A drying chamber for fabric or the like, having a passageway through which fabric is admitted to the chamber, and an expansible seal over the passageway which may be expanded to grip the fabric and close the passageway.

6. A drying chamber for fabric or the like, having" a passageway through whlch fabric is admitted to the chamber, and a sealing device over the passageway which may be operated to close upon the fabric and shut the passageway, said sealin device comprising an expansible bag an means to expand the bag by fluid pressure.

7. A drying chamber for fabric or the like, having a passageway through which fabric is admitted to the chamber and a seal ing device over the passageway which may be operated to close upon the fabric and shut the passageway, said sealing device comprising a fluted container and means to expand the fluted container by fluid pressure.

8. A drying chamber for fabric, comprising a casing, means for supporting the chamber so that the base is above the operators, means for conducting the fabric below the base of the chamber as it is subjected to the drying process, and means adjacent the of lighter construction than the base, the

top of the casing having openings therein and easily ruptured closures for said openmgs.

11. In a drying apparatus, having means forsupporting and guiding fabric and a passageway through which the fabric leaves the apparatus, and a seal at the passageway, said seal comprising wipers which bear against the fabric-and resilient means for pressing the wipers against the fabric.

12. In a drying apparatus, having means for supporting and guiding fabric and a passageway through which the fabric leaves the apparatus, and a seal at the passageway, said seal comprising wipers which bear against the fabric and fluid expansible means for pressing the wipers against the fabric.

13. In an apparatus for coating and dr ing fabric, an elevated casing in which t e fabric is led in a circuitous path, a tank, and means for guiding the fabric during a ortion of its travel, said tank' and gui ing means being located on the under side of the casing and outside of the bounds thereof.

' ROBERT R. JONES. 

